Dissertation Research: Vasopressin-Glutamate Interactions in the LAH of Aggressive Male Syrian Hamsters

论文研究：攻击性雄性叙利亚仓鼠 LAH 中加压素 - 谷氨酸的相互作用

• 批准号: 0909854
• 负责人: Richard Melloni
• 金额: $ 1.48万
• 依托单位: Northeastern University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-07-01 至 2011-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0909854&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dissertation; Research; Vasopressin; Glutamate; Interactions

During the past 40 years research in aggression has identified the main neurotransmitters and brain areas involved in the modulation of aggressive behavior. However, how key brain areas and neurotransmitters interact to modulate aggression is unknown. In the lateral anterior hypothalamus (i.e., LAH; the center of control of aggression that receives and integrates aggression inputs from other brain areas involved in aggression control and sends output projections back), vasopressin is a neuropeptide that facilitates aggression. Moreover, in this brain area glutamate (i.e., a predominant excitatory amino acid in the hypothalamus) has been previously hypothesized to be the aggression output system to other aggression brain areas. The current project will focus on understanding how interactions between vasopressin and glutamate in the LAH modulate the aggressive behavior. Specifically, male Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) exposed to moderate doses of anabolic androgenic steroids will be used to investigate whether increased hypothalamic vasopressin stimulates the activity of glutamate cells and underlies the escalated aggressive behavior observed in these animals. This project will primarily use behavior pharmacology to investigate how changes in aggressive behavior map to changes in brain activity. The findings from this project will not only provide new knowledge that will further our understanding on the neurobiology of aggression but it will also make a contribution to other research areas investigating how brain mechanisms regulate behavior. Moreover, this project will promote the development as an early neuroscientist of a female PhD student and training in laboratory of various undergraduate students from underrepresented groups.

在过去的40年里，对攻击行为的研究已经确定了参与攻击行为调制的主要神经递质和脑区。然而，关键的大脑区域和神经递质如何相互作用来调节攻击性尚不清楚。在下丘脑外侧前部（即，LAH;攻击性控制中心，接收和整合来自其他参与攻击性控制的大脑区域的攻击性输入，并将输出投射发送回来），加压素是一种促进攻击性的神经肽。此外，在这个大脑区域谷氨酸（即，下丘脑中主要的兴奋性氨基酸）先前被假设为是对其他攻击性脑区的攻击性输出系统。目前的项目将集中于了解LAH中加压素和谷氨酸之间的相互作用如何调节攻击行为。具体来说，暴露于中等剂量合成代谢雄激素类固醇的雄性叙利亚仓鼠（Mesocricetus auratus）将用于研究下丘脑加压素的增加是否会刺激谷氨酸细胞的活性，并成为这些动物中观察到的攻击行为升级的基础。该项目将主要使用行为药理学来研究攻击性行为的变化如何映射到大脑活动的变化。该项目的发现不仅将提供新的知识，进一步加深我们对攻击性神经生物学的理解，而且还将为研究大脑机制如何调节行为的其他研究领域做出贡献。此外，该项目将促进一名女博士生作为早期神经科学家的发展，并在实验室对来自代表性不足群体的各种本科生进行培训。